US Senator Menendez denies new charges against him

Senator Bob Menendez, who faces bribery and corruption charges in the US, did not accept the accusations in the new indictment.

Menendez appeared at a hearing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York alongside his wife, Nadine Menendez, and two other defendants accused in the corruption case (Wael Hana and Fred Daibes).

The Menendez couple and the other two defendants, whom district prosecutors have charged with additional crimes in the new indictment, did not accept the charge of "obstruction of justice" brought against them.

The Menendez couple chose not to speak to members of the press upon entering and leaving the courthouse in Manhattan.

Prosecutors submitted a new indictment file to the court last week regarding the four individuals in question, bringing the total number of charges against the Menendez couple and the other two partners in the bribery scheme from 4 to 18.

HE HAD STATED HE WOULD NOT RESIGN

In the 39-page indictment submitted to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on September 22, Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine (Arslanian) Menendez, were accused of being involved in a bribery scheme in exchange for political favors.

In addition to Menendez and his wife, Egyptian businessman Wael Hana and New Jersey businessmen Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe were also named as defendants in the indictment.

In addition to the gold bars and hidden cash found during the search of his home, the indictment highlighted Menendez's influence on official aid to Egypt during his tenure as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—a position that gave him a say in military aid to foreign countries—as well as his relationships with Egyptian-origin businessmen and firms in New Jersey.

Menendez, who was forced to step down as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the day after the charges were announced, stated that he would not resign from his seat in Congress, resisting pressure from his party and the public.

The initial indictment against Menendez was later expanded to include charges of using his political position to gain benefits in favor of Qatar.

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